NOOSA HEADS, Australia: Emma Snowsill was sent in the wrong direction on an unfamiliar course at the Beijing Olympics, but recovered without losing much ground to win the women’s triathlon gold medal.

There was no such problem Sunday in the Noosa Triathlon when the 27-year-old Australian won her home event for the fifth time in six years.

Competing on a course that she knows better than any of the other elite competitors, she still admitted to feeling pressure ahead of her first major race back since the Olympics.

“I did feel more nervous than I did before the Olympics and it must be that you know you’ve done everything possible when you’re on an Olympic start-line,” Snowsill said.

“This time around, I know I did everything possible two and a half months ago. But once I’m out there I just enjoy it, I truly love this sort of course.”

Snowsill showed little rustiness from the lengthy layoff, finishing the Olympic-distance 1,500-metre swim, 40-kilometre cycle and 10-kilometre run in this resort town north of Brisbane in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 39 seconds.

Emma Moffatt, who won bronze for Australia at Beijing and often trains with Snowsill, was second, more than 3 1-2 minutes behind, followed by fellow Australian Sarah Crowley.

“I class Emma as always in her own league – it always requires a lot of hard work to try and beat her,” Moffatt said. “I think it’s more physical than mental – she’s always such a hard trainer.”

Under partially cloudy skies but in high humidity, Australian Olympian Courtney Atkinson won the men’s race in 1:46.38. Atkinson finished 11th at Beijing and was looking to end the year on a strong note with his first win at Noosa after three second-place finishes.

“I’ve come second here many times and it’s always been in a running race by someone different,” said Atkinson. “This is the first time in a long time that I’ve come here really ready to race.”

Craig Walton retired last year after winning the Noosa event for the sixth time. He is Snowsill’s fiance and coach and they live at Noosa.

Fellow Australians David Dellow and James Seear were second and third, two minutes behind. Kris Gemmell of New Zealand, who won an International Triathlon Union race last weekend in Mexico, was fourth.

Gemmell represented New Zealand at the Olympics but finished 39th in Beijing after hurting his foot in final training.

The swim leg on Sunday was held in a sheltered canal that forms part of the Noosa River. The cycling leg took the competitors out of the main tourist strip and toward the Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Cooroy before a flat one-lap-out-and-back run through Noosa Sound.

Last year in Noosa, Snowsill nearly pulled out with a virus, but held on to win. Now, she’s even more of a crowd favorite after her Olympic gold, something she’s still trying to come to terms with.

“I find it strange that so many people want to talk to me or know all about me,” Snowsill said.

“Such a huge part of why I do keep coming back to Noosa is because it’s where I first found out about triathlon and fell in love with it.”